Twist of Fate: When in Rome
by whoa nellie
Summary: As the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Cf, K7


Title: Twist of Fate: When in Rome

Author: Whoa Nellie Voyager

New

Rating: R

Codes: C/f, K/7

Synopsis: As the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'

Author's Notes: Feel free to archive to any pertinent site. This story does stand on its own, not necessary to have read the previous stories except for more detailed background information on Ceshlyta and how she got there.

Previous stories from the Twist of Fate storyline (in order): Blessings of the Sky Spirits, Wyrd, What Comes Naturally, Fresh Perspective, Culinary Delights, Chaos Theory, Unforeseen Circumstance, A Matter of Definition, Love and Copulation, Million Kilometer High Club, Comings and Goings, Bare Necessities and Vulnerability.

Background: Ceshlyta is Chakotay's wife and soulmate. She is descended from the Inheritors through a different tribe and was joined with Chakotay in a wedding at the Temple of the Sky Spirits before they put her on Voyager. She was a Professor of Botany on Earth when the Sky Spirits joined their souls, intertwined their life paths and put her on Voyager. Her nickname, used by most of the other crew members, is Sassy.

Acknowledgements: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun playing with them.

Feedback is always appreciated, posted or e-mail.

This is an R-rated version in deference to submission policy. If you are over 18 and would like to read the original version it can be found at Whoa Nellie's Sci-Fi Romance Fan Fiction Website. This link is on our author page at in Rome

WHEN IN ROME

"The gardens here in the compound are amazing," Sassy gushed as she entered the Flyer. "The High Priestess herself took me on a tour of them while we talked. So, how long will we be here while you fix the Flyer?"

Chakotay shot her a wry look. "Entirely too long."

To her credit, she almost managed to smother her giggles of amusement. "You're the one who crashed the shuttle in the most sacred region of the planet. Arboria is the only region that still observes the old ways; if you'd crashed twenty or thirty kilometers south, you'd still be fully clothed."

"How was I supposed to know that their satellite system would fry our navigational controls?" he mumbled, picking up a hypospanner and turning back toward the open control panel.

Sassy walked over to him and trailed her fingers down the bare skin of his back. A planet where male nudity was the tradition-and here in Arboria it was mandatory-was simply divine. "Come on, mi aalm, isn't the anthropologist in you the least bit curious? How many matriarchal cultures do we encounter? There are plenty of patriarchal societies, but a society where men have been viewed as full citizens for less than a century is fascinating."

Chakotay sighed and turned to pull her against him. "It would be a lot easier to be fascinated if I had some clothes on."

Nuzzling the smooth, tanned expanse of his chest, she swirled her tongue around a brown nipple and felt his body jerk in response. "I like this," she murmured against his skin. "Easy access and a delightful view."

His fingers slipped under her chin to tilt her face up to his. Lowering his head, his lips settled over hers in a gentle caress and gradually deepened. Forced nudity was having an odd effect on him-it was making him feel vulnerable, needing his wife to hold and reassure him. As usual with the two of them, one thing quickly led to another and his hands began looking for the clasps of her jumpsuit.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," came a perpetually cheerful voice from the doorway. A second later, Neelix bounded into the compartment, his Talaxian body as naked as Chakotay's.

Chakotay half-turned back toward the control panel he'd been working on. "No, that's pretty much a show stopper right there," he whispered softly.

"Have you told the Commander yet?" Neelix asked Sassy.

"No, not yet," she said. She perched herself near where Chakotay was working. "The High Priestess has extended the hospitality of their order to us. Seven and I are being assigned rooms in the residence."

"Being a mere male, I can't be assigned a room there, so I'll be bunking in with the acolytes," Neelix piped up. "I just came back to get my toothbrush; I certainly won't be needing a change of underwear," he chuckled. "This place is fascinating. Did you know that men who want to join the priesthood have to spend five years in service as acolytes here at the temple? Five years without wearing any clothes; it's hard to imagine. Then again, some of them choose to remain here even after their training is completed to work and study; occasionally they marry one of the priestesses and raise their family here. Maybe you get used to it after a while," he mused as he retrieved the items he would need and waved goodbye. "See you at dinner."

Alone again, Chakotay looked at Sassy. "I was hoping that we could stay with the Flyer so we could get the repairs done sooner." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to take them back. He was the First Officer and in command of this away mission, so why was he practically pleading with his wife-a civilian, no less-to not make him go out there?

"I met with the High Priestess and used their communications equipment to contact Matria Atela in the capital city as well as Captain Janeway on Voyager," Sassy prefaced what she was about to tell him. "In light of the cultural issues, Kathryn is taking over the diplomatic mission and instructed us to accept the invitation of the High Priestess to remain here while the Flyer is repaired. The religious order is very curious about us and interested in the information exchange that we'd planned with Matria Atela. Seven and Harry are working on interfacing our cultural and historical database with theirs now."

He slammed the hypospanner down in an unexpected burst of frustration. "The women on Voyager certainly seem keen on this place," he snapped.

Tacitly trying to sooth him, she took his hand before responding. "They've made a total of two requests: no transporters because of their religious beliefs about the sanctity of the human body and men aren't permitted to wear clothes within the boundaries of Arboria. All in all, they're being very hospitable, sociable and reasonable. This is a beautiful planet and they're willing to allow the crew to come down on shore leave. You, yourself, was saying how long it had been since the crew had shore leave on a class M planet as the last two opportunities had both been space stations. The rest of the planet no longer observes the old ways, it's just that we're in the home of the High Priestess here."

"But we're guests and we're not from this culture," he countered, hating how whiny his voice sounded. "I'm an officer aboard a starship."

Sassy bit back her annoyance, taking a settling breath before she answered him. "Exactly, we're guests on a planet where men lost the battle of the sexes; it's not their fault that in our culture, women lost that battle and it took us several thousand years to even the playing field again. Here, the men have gained back a great deal, but the religious systems are always the last part of a culture to change-you know that, or you should if you've studied anything about cultural anthropology. I know this is uncomfortable for you, but remember what they say: 'When in Rome'. . ."

"Do as the Romans do," he sighed heavily.

"Look at it this way, there are no weird sex rituals, you're not considered to be my property but on the bright side, I can let you stay in my room with me," Sassy pointed out. "Seven is 'allowing' Harry to stay with her in her room and Neelix seemed excited about bunking with the acolytes. There's nothing insidious or dangerous about this place and I was very explicit about my concerns during my time with the High Priestess. She assured me that every member of my team would be treated with courtesy, regardless of gender, during our stay here."

"My team," Chakotay gritted out.

Sassy moved closer, stroking his arm and placing a soft kiss on his shoulder. "Of course, I'm sorry, it's just that they can't imagine a man in charge of anything. It's easier for them to relate to Seven or me and Seven wasn't exactly handling the first contact situation well. She acquiesced to me in talking with the priestesses, so they've all just assumed that I was in charge. I think Seven recommended that Harry and she get to work on the information exchange just to get away from them-not to mention that Harry was the color of a tomato by that time."

"He should have been here helping me with the Flyer."

Her temper flared. "Spirits, Chakotay, would you stop acting like a child? You were the one who insisted that Harry and Neelix stay with Seven and me while you oversaw the Flyer being moved closer to the compound. I'm sorry if your ego is bruised by the idea that women are more important here, but you've encountered too many new species and cultures to be behaving like this. I have to wonder if you'd be acting like this if they were more like the Ferengi and denied their women clothing."

They'd been married for a year and a half so it went without saying that she'd been annoyed with him before, she'd even yelled at him in the middle of the mess hall once. This time it was different, he felt defenseless and anxious for absolutely no reason he could understand. "I'm sorry, Ceshlyta, I . . . you're right, I'm not behaving very much like a Starfleet officer or an anthropologist. I'll try to approach this like a field study and immerse myself in the culture."

"Just stay close," Sassy requested, patting his shoulder. "I know you want to get the Flyer fixed, but I'm winging it here. I don't know the first thing about first contact, mostly we talked about horticulture. They have a specimen of every piece of flora that has ever existed on the planet here in Arboria."

Chakotay smiled at her excitement and caught her hand, pressing a kiss to the palm. "So we could be here for a while regardless of how fast I get this fixed," he commented jovially. "I'm sure you'll do fine, but you know where to find me if you need me."

"Hopefully in bed with me tonight," she winked. "I'll even take my clothes off and join you in your nudity."

Chakotay heard the 'but' in her voice and instantly figured out what the catch was. "After a very public dinner with the priestesses," he said.

"But," Sassy pointed out. "They allow the men who aren't acolytes to sit at the main tables with the women now-their one concession to the social changes in the culture."

"Oh, goody."

Harry shut down the communications link, cutting Tom's laughter from Voyager short. "Well, the database link is operational and apparently most of the ship is aware of the local customs here."

"We should be going, we do not wish to be late for dinner," Seven said.

"No, we wouldn't want that," he commented sardonically. "Can't we tell them that I had a headache and you had to stay here and take care of me?"

Pulling out a tricorder, she scanned him. "Your bio-readings are normal; when did this headache begin?"

"I don't have a headache, I just don't want to go to dinner."

"Such deception would be impolite." Seven put the tricorder back on her belt and reached out to pull Harry closer to her. "You are disturbed by the clothing customs here?"

"Or lack thereof."

She brushed a stray lock of hair from his sweet, boyish face. "You have no reason to feel uncomfortable, your body is most pleasing to look at; you should feel proud of your physique." Her hand trailed down the muscled planes of his chest and down the flat lines of his abdomen. Being fully clothed while all of the men around her-including Harry-were not and the deference which the males all showed her was creating a sense of power. Since the inception of their relationship, she had deferred to Harry in their interactions because of his experience in such matters. When she did take any initiative, it was with Harry's preferences in mind because she wanted to please him. He had been very patient and tender, never taking advantage of her naivete', but for the first time she felt stronger, more sure of herself. She leaned in to press her lips against his, slipping her tongue into his mouth at the exact instant that her hand grasped him firmly. He gasped into her mouth, his body hardening in her hand and a whimper escaped from his throat. She tangled her fingers through his coarse, dark hair and used her handholds to steer him back against the wall of the room.

Harry shifted to spread his legs further apart, rocking into her caresses.

"We will be late for dinner," Seven reminded him. "But you obviously cannot go in this condition." She flicked his earlobe with her tongue in concert with the motions of her hand until he reached for her, trying to pull her against his straining body. Taking his earlobe between her teeth she pulled sharply, getting his attention. "I am endeavoring to alleviate this situation so that you will not be uncomfortable."

Her voice was low and calm, yet her words were conversely reasoned and exciting. She hadn't taken the initiative, dominating an interaction between them, since they'd started dating and it was as arousing as it was unexpected. The promise of later and more of this was all it took, his body jerked and he collapsed against the wall moaning softly with relief.

"Now we may go," Seven commented, turning toward the door.

Harry snatched a folded towel from a nearby chair and tossed it on the floor. "Thank you, ma'am, may I have another?" he muttered dryly under his breath, following her out of the room.

Dinner was an exercise in discipline. Actually, it was entering the dining hall that tested Chakotay's self-discipline the most. The dining hall reminded him of his days at the academy; rows of tables filled the large room with women and men-albeit naked men-sitting and talking as other naked men moved through the aisles serving the meal. Smaller, lower tables lined the walls and some of the acolytes were already sitting at several of them. Of course they would be sitting at the head table, the elevated table at the front of the room where the High Priestess and her lieutenants sat. Chakotay kept his eyes focused on Sassy's long, black hair as they walked the entire length of the room. It felt like everyone was staring at him and he tried to remind himself that they weren't staring at his . . . it was probably his tattoo that was drawing such interest. On the other hand, it was just as likely that they were more interested in Sassy than they were in him.

In spite of his anxiousness to sit down, he held Sassy's chair for her before taking his own seat. That small courtesy was habit for him, but the action earned him a nod of approval from many of the women, including the High Priestess herself. It felt weird to surreptitiously check the laps of other men, but as soon as he ascertained that it was permissible, he draped his napkin over his lap with a muted sigh of relief. It was only after he felt somewhat covered that he noticed Harry and Seven sitting directly to his right with Neelix on the other side of Seven. He snuck a quick glance around the table before whispering softly, "Did you get the downlink set up, Harry?"

Harry nodded yes.

"Good, you can help me with the Flyer starting tomorrow." Chakotay kept his voice as low as possible.

"It is permissible for you to speak freely, Chakotay," the High Priestess assured him from her position on the other side of Sassy.

Feeling like a child being called on the carpet, he straightened up in his chair. "I apologize, High Priestess, I was simply checking with Harry to see that the downlink was successfully established."

"Your wife tells me that you have an interest in cultures, I believe she called it anthropology," the High Priestess commented to Chakotay. "Have you had much of an opportunity to learn about us yet?"

Chakotay thanked the acolyte who set a plate of food in front of him, not touching his utensils until Sassy reached for hers. "No, ma'am, I spent most of the afternoon running diagnostics on our shuttle."

"I have a question, if I may," Neelix spoke up. "What is the significance to the nudity of your men? No disrespect intended, I'm just curious."

The High Priestess favored the Talaxian with a smile. "No offense perceived, Neelix. It wasn't always this way, a few thousand years ago men and women worked together in concert to survive and propagate. Men hunted while women grew fruits and vegetables. As our society began to grow and we relied less on brute strength to feed and clothe ourselves, men became more and more aggressive. They forgot the importance of women in the cycle of life and began dominating women and then each other. Constant warfare and strife became a way of life until women decided that it was wrong. The women of that time took control of society, ending warfare and embracing nature with its harmony and balance. In order to keep men in their place and remind them of their failings, it was decreed that men would not be permitted clothing of any kind."

In spite of his situation, Chakotay found himself drawn into the story. "But what was the reasoning for that decision?"

"Clothing is a type of shield that one can hide behind," the High Priestess noted. "Without clothing, men cannot hide and are thus kept humble."

Seven nodded in agreement. "The logic is sound and it would appear to be effective."

The High Priestess continued. "The women of our culture are not inherently possessive or aggressive, harmony and balance are natural for us so clothing does not influence us in a negative way. Our society is a peaceful one, dedicated to harmony, balance and knowledge."

"Your society truly has no crime or violence of any kind?" Sassy asked.

"Very little, Professor Ceshlyta," the High Priestess replied. "There have been a small, but increasing number of incidents as men have begun wearing clothing again; however, when a man does violate a law, his punishment includes a prohibition on clothing for a determined period of time in addition to restitution for his action. This has kept the incidence of violence to a minimum. The suspension of the laws preventing men from wearing clothes carried a stipulation that if violence and lawlessness by males reached a specific level, then the old laws would go back into effect across the planet. Here in Arboria the old ways are still observed for the most part, but all of the men here are so by choice. Men in other regions of the planet are able to wear clothing and be full members of society only as long as they can behave as civilized members of society."

Chakotay took a drink of the fruit juice that had been provided with his food. "What exactly is the restitution that men have to make for their crimes?"

"That depends on the nature of his action, Chakotay," the High Priestess said. "If his action is one of theft or violence, he must make amends to his victim through service or monetary compensation; if his action is one of subversion, he must make a public statement of apology. Regardless of any other concerns, his crime is marked on his body as a banner for all to see for the duration of his enforced nudity. That was essential since some men still prefer to live without clothing, although most of those men choose to join the priesthood. It would not do for men who choose to remain pure and humble in their natural state to be confused for convicted criminals, so the description of the crime remains on until the end of the sentence when it is removed."

"What about marriage?" Sassy asked. "Who decides who gets married and when?"

The High Priestess regarded her curiously. "The individuals decide for themselves, Professor. Is it not that way with your marriage?"

"Well, yes, both the man and the woman have to consent to a marriage before the ceremony is concluded," she said. "Chakotay and I have matching ring markings on our left palms as a symbol of our choice to join in matrimony. It's just that in our history, women haven't always had that freedom of choice and some religious orders haven't allowed its clergy to wed at all."

One of the other priestesses spoke up. "During the period in history when men were aggressive and dominating, they frequently confused the concepts of sexuality, intimacy, purity and nudity."

"Since our culture developed with a patriarchal-or male-dominance," Chakotay theorized. "It took longer for us to come to a better understanding of . . . such matters."

"Men truly dominate your culture, Professor Ceshlyta?" the younger priestess asked curiously.

Sassy caressed Chakotay's cheek tenderly before replying. "Not this one, but they used to and some men still try to; in other cultures back home they very much dominate their women. In fact there is a race back home that is almost a mirror version of your culture; the men of that race don't allow their women to wear clothing or own property of any kind, but they are not the peaceful culture that you have here. The men on Voyager treat the women with respect and we have a woman captain that all of the people on Voyager respect and obey. Women are judged by the knowledge, skill and ability now-for the most part anyway. Chakotay is my husband, my soul mate, my partner and he treats me as his equal. We have different sets of knowledge and ability and I defer to his talents as he defers to mine depending on the situation. It took thousands of years for women to earn that level of respect from society."

The High Priestess made a swift gesture over her heart. "I must remember to say an extra prayer to our ancestors for their wisdom so long ago," she said.

As Sassy continued her conversation on the differences in their respective cultural developments, Chakotay found himself in the unusual position of being irrelevant. The priestesses were polite to him when he interjected with a comment or question, but they directed their comments and questions to Sassy or occasionally Seven. He was the acknowledged expert in cultures at the table, even the High Priestess had mentioned his anthropology background, they just seemed to be more comfortable engaging in intellectual discourse with the women of Voyager. As exposed as he'd felt walking into the room, he was starting to feel more and more invisible as the evening progressed.

"This place is so peaceful," Sassy sighed, entering her room in the residence hall. "What an absolutely perfect way to spend shore leave."

Chakotay briefly looked for a locking mechanism on the door before it occurred to him that they probably didn't have them. "Yes, dear."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took off her communicator and her bracelt and laid them on the bedside table. "Remind me to check in with Voyager before breakfast in the morning."

Without being asked, he knelt beside the bed and began unfastening her boots. It was a very peaceful place, it reminded him of the planet where he'd found the descendents of the Sky Spirits shortly after they'd arrived in the Delta Quadrant. He still wanted his clothes back, but Ceshlyta seemed so pleased that he hadn't mentioned it, he didn't want to disrupt things with another argument. Now that they were alone, it wasn't a problem anyway. She reached out to caress his face and he nuzzled the palm of her hand. "There's a great big bathtub in the next room," he said. "Would you like me to draw you a bubble bath?"

"That sounds delightful," she replied. Lifting his face up, she brushed her lips softly across his, "as long as you're planning to join me." While he was getting everything ready in the bathroom, she stripped off her own clothes and laid them on a chair. "By the way, I know you're in a hurry to get the Flyer fixed, but Seven wants Harry to join her on a tour of their power facility after breakfast. Seven in fascinated with their work in solar energy and thinks it may be useful on Voyager. I thought that would be a good time for us to tour the temple and compound; you can learn a little more about their history and culture. You and Harry can start repairing the Flyer after lunch."

Chakotay looked up from where he was kneeling by the tub to mix the bubble bath into the water. He had already dimmed the lights and opened the skylight to reveal the star-filled night sky. There was an anticipation growing in the pit of his stomach, butterflies fluttering more and more wildly as she approached him. She was beautiful, her tawny skin almost glowing in the dim light. He straightened up almost imperceptibly as she walked toward him and he found himself desperately wanting her approval. "That sounds fine," he said, his voice unexpectedly hoarse.

Sassy slid her arms around his neck, pressing against the solid warmth of his body and began planting kisses along the tanned expanse of his chest. "I promise not to hold up your work on the Flyer, but I'll admit that I'm in no hurry to leave."

His body flinched at the initial contact of her skin to his; it was almost like a spark of energy shot through him. He took the hair clip from her hand and used his fingers to swiftly comb her long, dark tresses up and pin them on top of her head. Sweeping her up into his arms, he carefully stepped into the tub and sat down with her across his lap. She was so relaxed and soft against him with her head on his shoulder, one of her fingers was idly drawing designs in the moisture on his chest. "We can stay as long as you like," he said softly. Capturing her finger, he drew it up to his mouth to place a lingering kiss on the tip. It wasn't so much that he could see and feel her bare skin for the first time all day after she'd spent a good part of the evening brushing up against him and touching him, it was just being able to hold her like he was that felt incredible. He would have promised her anything at that moment. He lazily stroked her for a moment and then reached for a sponge and the soap to begin washing her. He started with her back, drawing the sponge across her shoulders and meandering down as far as he could. Switching the sponge to his other hand, he moved the sponge back up her body from her toes, along the length of each lithe leg and up her torso. The tortuously erotic bath seemed to take forever, but it somehow felt extremely important that he do a good job. He circled each breast before finishing with gentle sweeps across her throat. The entire time he worked, she was practically purring in his arms, stretching to allow him easy access when he needed it and arching into his caresses as he reached sensitive areas. He didn't stop rubbing her with the sponge until she took it from him and put it on the side of the tub. Nothing was said, nothing needed to be said between them for a long time.

"Spirits," Sassy panted breathlessly much later. "That was unbelievable."

Chakotay smiled and kissed the end of her nose. "I love you, mi aalm."

Resting against his chest, her arms around his shoulders she savored the sense of contentment filling her. "Of course you realize that we both need to be bathed now."

"Does clothing truly have a significant impact on human behavior?" Seven asked Harry on their way back to her room.

Harry pondered it for a moment before trying to put his thoughts into words. "I'd say so, in a way I guess. It seems like people behave the way they choose to dress, so I'd say it's very possible that making someone wear certain clothes might change the way they feel or act. I feel different in my uniform than I do in civilian clothes-or no clothes in this case."

"I believe my attire does not benefit me," she announced.

Shutting the door behind him, he began taking the pins out of her hair and combing the silken, blond hair out to fall around her shoulders. "Why do you say that? Didn't the Doc design it specifically for you?"

"Initially I required the biometric suit because of my implants," she acknowledged. "However, the few implants that remain would be unaffected by my clothing. I have not altered my attire because I did not feel it relevant. Perhaps the others on Voyager would react differently to me if I were to forego clothing entirely."

Harry's heart plunged into his stomach. "No! I mean . . . it's just . . . you . . . it-" his stammering protest died on his lips when he caught the barest hint of a smile on her face. She was teasing him, actually baiting him for her own amusement. A deep, calming breath slowed his frantic heartbeat and he chuckled along with her at the idea.

"I will contemplate a wardrobe change," Seven said, reaching out to toy with a stray lock of his dark hair. "Sassy is a civilian, her clothing choices are flattering and functional; I will ask her for advice on the matter."

His hand slid around to find the fastening of her suit. "I wouldn't mind seeing that nude option at the moment," he murmured in her ear.

Stepping into his embrace, she laid her head on his shoulder to give him easier access to her clothing. Her hands traced down the muscled planes of his ribcage before slipping around to encircle his waist. His bronze skin was warm beneath her cheek and he smelled wonderfully masculine-a clean yet slightly musky scent. It never seemed to matter what she wore or didn't wear around Harry, he always made her feel secure, content and quite aroused. His hands were taking their time with the fastening, stroking a fair amount of skin from the nape of her neck all the way down her back to her hips as they worked. She could feel every millimeter of skin that he touched since her skin tingled for several moments after his fingers moved on. Finally, he stepped back to strip off her suit and followed his hands down, kneeling on the floor to remove her boots and discard her clothing. She put her hands on his shoulders to subtly urge him closer to her without letting him up. With her fingers tangled in his thick, short hair to cup his head in her hands, she made an observation. "I have been frequently distracted throughout the day."

On his knees, her hands gently forcing him to stay where he was, a sense of anticipation sent his stomach plummeting. He could barely breathe, much less carry on a casual conversation. "Oh?"

Shifting her stance, she spread her legs further apart. "Several times today I mentally pictured you like this, on your knees in front of me, pleasing me."

His body leapt to a painful state of arousal at the content of her matter-of-fact statement and he moaned aloud at the demand implicit in her tone. She wasn't forcing him to do anything, just stating what she wanted in a way he'd never heard from her before; for such a calm, low-key interaction, this was the most incredibly erotic foreplay they'd ever had. "You should lay down or sit," he whispered.

"You are correct," she said. "Do not move."

Feeling like his heart was forcing its way up his throat with every beat, he watched Seven cross the room to retrieve a chair and bring it back over to where he knelt. She set the chair down and sat on the edge.

"Thank you, this is much more comfortable. We may now proceed."

When Harry had finished, a very pleased and satisfied Seven started to stand up, but her legs were surprisingly wobbly. She didn't fall though; in one swift motion, Harry stood and swept her up into his arms. "I wish to copulate with you now," she muttered softly, her head resting on his strong shoulder.

"That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say," he commented, striding over to the bed. He put one knee up to steady himself as he laid her down and wasted no time covering her with his body. Later, he rolled to his side and pulled her up against his chest, idly stroking her hair while their racing hearts slowed. "If I spend more time without clothes back on Voyager, can we do this more often?"

"I was hoping we could do this several more times before we return to Voyager," Seven responded before planting a kiss on his sweat-dampened chest.

He groaned in mock dismay. "Don't hurt me, I'm only a mere man. You may not be able to break the laws of physics, but you can break me, you know."

Propping herself up on one elbow, she stroked his jawline tenderly. "Do not be afraid, Harry, I'll take care of you."

"Tell the truth, Chakotay," Tom winked at B'Elanna sitting beside him in the briefing room, "you got so used to being naked down there that you're not wearing anything under that uniform now."

Chakotay eyed Paris with patient bemusement. After two weeks in Arboria, they were back onboard Voyager and had just left orbit. He was relieved to be back among the clothed, but the rest of the crew were still having a good laugh out of the experience. His response was interrupted by Seven's entrance. Her hair was up in its ever-efficient style, but she was wearing a much different outfit than her usual catsuit. It was a more loose-fitting jumpsuit that appeared to be made out of the same biometric material as her previous outfit. The blouse-like top had long sleeves that were snug against her forearms but billowed out into soft folds above the elbow. The legs of her jumpsuit were tucked into flat-soled boots that came up to mid-calf. Her waist was accented by a wide, bright red belt and the overall effect was somehow much more stunning than her completely skin-tight catsuit had ever been.

"You look great, Seven," Tom commented, stunned.

"Yeah, nice outfit," B'Elanna echoed.

Seven smiled as she took her chair. "Thank you, Tom, B'Elanna."

Neelix and the EMH entered the briefing room, both of them stopping short when they saw Seven; just behind them, Janeway, Tuvok and Harry filed in from the bridge. Harry had already seen Seven's new wardrobe, so he took his seat beside her and watched the reactions from the other senior staff as they saw the change for the first time.

"Let's get started," Janeway said, taking her seat.

Chakotay passed her a PADD. "Every member of the crew had at least one week of shore leave with no incidents reported by the security forces on the planet. The information exchange was very successful, with more than two gigaquads of new information being added to our database and we're fully stocked on supplies for the mess. Sassy brought samples and cuttings from close to a hundred different species of flora back and supplied them with cuttings and genetic information on all of the plants in her garden. Seven and Harry have been working on adapting some of their technology to augment power utilization here on board Voyager; I'll let Seven explain their project."

At his nod, Seven keyed up a display. "They've managed to increase the efficiency and output of solar energy significantly. Their entire world power need is provided solely through the capture and storage of solar energy. Their power utilization is high given their technological development, but they have not relied on any of their natural resources for centuries. I acquired several of the individual panels as well as the schematics for their solar technology and power stations and Harry and I have reviewed the material. We believe it is possible to adapt their design to panels that can be placed on Voyager's hull. The isolinear optical circuits will not be able to handle the energy influx, but Harry devised a means of routing the energy captured by the panels through the bio-neural circuitry into a buffer that could be used to power up energy cells. Based on my calculations, we could provide sufficient energy to completely power the replicators with sufficient energy cells remaining to provide emergency power onboard the Flyer and shuttles. It would require a significant investment of crew and ship resources to instigate, but I believe the end result would be worth it. I have taken the liberty of working out an implementation plan that involves crew from both Operations and Engineering in a way that should not interfere with their routine duties. B'Elanna, I would appreciate your input on the effect this plan would have on your department." Concluding her explanation, she slid a PADD with the relevant information down the table to Torres.

"Could we use these panels on the Flyer?" Tom asked.

Seven thought for a moment. "I don't know, the circuit requirements may not permit that, but we can look at the possibilities and perhaps Harry and you can find a way to incorporate the technology."

Janeway studied Seven pensively, the two weeks in Arboria had changed her-not much, she was still Seven just a little softer. "Well, I'm looking forward to reading all of your mission reports, it seems as though those of you who were in Arboria have a great deal to relate about your experiences."

"As long as it's not show and tell," Tom snorted.

FINIS


End file.
